if fighters can't be taught hand speed 'n punching power...

This is correct. It is not hard to tell who has been around the sport for a while and the new guys. Power and speed you are born with, the proper technique will allow you to reach your potential.

 

Body mechanics and body structure also plays a huge role. A guy with delicate and not very dense bones might be able to improve his physical strength, but his punching power might not increase at all because if he hits hard he will still hurt his hand or wrist (read - Floyd Mayweather - Floyd can throw everything he has into a punch, but when he really tries to hurt a guy, afterwards you hear him complain about his hands - his body limits the amount of power he can put into a punch safely.)

A lot of strong guys don't know how to punch or how to box. A lot of guys who know how to box don't have the ideal bodystructure or frame for it. Even though Pac is short, those 8 inch wrists, the size of a heavyweight's wrist, are a hint that his bones and hands can take throwing as hard as he can with minimal injury to his wrists. Paulie can probably hit harder than his fights indicate, but his body has a certain biofeedback that tells him - hey, that's as hard as you can hit without hurting yourself.

 

Fresh, illuminating POV, a

 

physically there is little way to predict who can hit from other attributes, that's for sure. If you put Shane Mosley, Pac, Floyd, and a non-elite little guy who lifts weights a lot (I'll use myself as an example) in a weight lifting gym or have them do calisthenics together, I think you would find that for raw weight Mosley would be significantly stronger than both Pac, Floyd, and the non-fighter, but in terms of damage in the ring it is conceivable Pac might do the most raw cumulative damage. Calisthenics and agility might see Pac and Floyd in the lead. I imagine the overall strength between the three besides Shane would be pretty closely clumped together, with Pac and Floyd pulling out in endurance exercises.

Yet in the ring both Pac and Floyd pushed around the slightly older Mosley without too much trouble. No way they are stronger than him. I honestly don't think Floyd is significantly stronger than me in a purely static way, but I know he would put way more damage on an individual with technique, accuracy, and speed than I could ever dream of, and that he can push around guys who have static strength because he knows how to. So many variables, it is way more than just strength and strength training that makes a guy effective.

 

I think your position would be more cear if you added the word 'significantly'. There are usually enough deficiencies in any one athlete's physical preparation that some gain will be attained. It's just that the gains are not usually significant unless the subject was grossly deficient in their maturation in the sport. With that said, I agree wholeheartedly that you can't make a feather fisted fighter into hands of stone.

 

Good, accurate post. Without taking muscle biopsies of virtually all significant muscles, along with intimate knowledge of other internal structures in any one subject, it's virtually impossible to tell who has headroom for improvement to be made; from a physiological and bio-mechanical POV. Way to many variables can come into play; hence, the reason we apply general methodologies in training.

 

Of course you can improve speed and power. Constantly improving technique will do that alone, also strength training will help. I've seen it too many times to say it can't be done. Having said that, the guys with serious power and speed display it on their first day and will keep that advantage for as long as they perform.

The "feather fisted" can always improve, but if you don't train to improve it right, or you suffer from injuries you won't.

 

No, sadly, Z, ya can't improve hand speed 'n power, only ring savvy, accuracy 'n combos. Veterans eventually come ta terms with that

 

can't train a Chin either

 

Spot on! RS

 

The best way to increase your fighter's chance of being a champion is to increase their knowledge of the game and their conditioning.


If all else is lacking, ring generalship, footwork, timing, and overall ability to navigate your opponent, plus being extremely well conditioned will give you an advantage over 80% of fighters these days, sadly.


This is why I think a lot of older fighters who actually had teachers would box circles around a lot of today's fighters.

 

I haven't been around quite as long as JG - though I have followed boxing closely for half a century. And though it doesn't really make any sense, he's correct in saying that punching power is something you either have, or you don't!

Now you would think, that ko-power is something you can develope through training - but it just isn't. It's an ability - much like being able to withstand a hard punch to the chin. Some boxers (Hagler, Chuvalo, McCall, etc.) are able to take even the most powerful punches, without getting hurt... while others don't have this ability. And - just like with punching power - if you can't take a shot, there's nothing you can to do about it. No amount of training, will make your chin stronger.

 

BRAVO! A voice of sanity, B

 

killer post! Nba

 

honestly think power can be improved to some degree, the main factor is technique and some guys have it and some don't. I'd like to think you could become a big puncher from training but the improvement you get from strength training and explosiveness would be a fraction compared as to technique which eould be the other 3/4ths of what makes a guy punch hard.